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Hackney students celebrate A-level results success

The Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Hackney joined pupils celebrating their A-level results at schools and colleges across the borough today.

Mayor Glanville and Deputy Mayor Bramble visited BSix College and The Urswick School, where students were celebrating getting into their top university choices and securing apprenticeships.

Spirits were high across the borough this morning, as students collected their A-level results. Staff and students at BSix College are celebrating their highest ever results, with 97% of students achieving pass grades, up from 93% in 2018.

BSix College students’ Marsioleda Kemberi, 19, and Jessica Zahidul, 18, excelled in their A-levels and were both celebrating securing places at Queen Mary University of London to study Medicine together.

Marsioleda was thrilled with her A*A*A*A grades in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths. She said: "I’m really shocked at my results because I’ve only been in the UK for two years - I come from Albania, which is a non-English speaking country.

"I have been working part-time as a Care Assistant during my studies, and the college has been really supportive - they’ve given me everything. I’m now excited about my next steps, because I was a bit afraid before, but I got better grades than I expected."

Jessica achieved an incredible AAA in Biology, Chemistry and Maths. She said: "I feel shocked and I am rather nervous, as I’ve heard that Medicine is a difficult subject, so I’m a little bit scared. I just feel blank at the moment!"

Nori Zaman, 18, was celebrating her incredible successes, securing AAB in A-Level Chemistry, Maths and Biology, and an A in AS Italian. She hopes to join her friends in studying Medicine at Queen Mary University of London in September.

The Urswick School’s students were also celebrating this morning when collecting their A-level results, with students securing places at universities across the country. One student will be heading to Edinburgh University to study Linguistics, and others will be going as far afield as Plymouth and Newcastle. 70% of the school’s A-level students achieved grades A*-C this year.

The Urswick School student, Amawry DeFreitas, 18, is excited to begin his Law degree at Kent University, after achieving four B’s in Law, Sociology, Politics and Portuguese.

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I couldn’t sleep at all last night. I must have refreshed the UCAS page about 100 times! But once I got to school and saw my grades, I was really happy. I shouldn’t have doubted myself.

I feel very excited to start this new journey in my life. I’ve wanted to study Law for years, so I’ve been planning for this for a while. I’m also following a family tradition, as my sister graduated in Law and Business too.

Amawry DeFreitas, The Urswick School

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Fellow Urswick School student, Bradley Eadon, 18, who achieved a B in Physical Education, C in Drama and D in Philosophy, is looking forward to his I.T apprenticeship interview on Wednesday. He said: “I’m really happy with my results, and I know that my Mum will be happy too. I got better grades than I expected, and I hope to now pursue a career in I.T in the City.”

Bradley’s friend and fellow student, Khayrah Fagbemi, 18, who received BCC in P.E, Drama and an Extended Project Qualification (EPQ), is now looking forward to taking a working gap year and deciding on her next steps after securing deferred offers to study Physiology at both Plymouth Marjon University and the University of Bedfordshire. She said: “I’m really happy, and I wasn’t expecting to get the grades that I got. I’m looking forward to taking a year out, and as I’ve already been offered places at university for next year, I can finally relax!”

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Today was a very important day, and it was a privilege to share it with some of our students. I’d like to congratulate them and say a big thank you to our brilliant teachers and school staff, as well as the friends and family who have supported our pupils through such an anxious time.

Whatever they do next, whether it’s university, an apprenticeship, or going into the world of work, I’d like to wish every one of them the very best of luck for the future

Cllr Anntoinette Bramble, Deputy Mayor of Hackney

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Approximately a thousand young people will have received results today at Hackney school sixth forms, with hundreds of residents also receiving results at B6 and colleges or schools outside the borough. Destinations for our Hackney Year 13 students include Cambridge, Oxford, Harvard, Edinburgh and Cardiff, together with apprenticeships and universities closer to home.

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We are really proud of our young people – and the work of Hackney staff. We have an increasingly strong and diverse sixth form offer at Hackney schools and colleges. The young people getting their GCSE results next week have a great choice of Hackney sixth form destinations.